A monthly gardening calendar

Select a month below for backyard garden advice - general tips and specific ones for flowers and vegetables.


DECEMBER

Hydrangeas are starting to show off this month. Make sure you mulch and feed them regularly. If you wanted your hydrangeas blue you needed to start blueing them around June on a regular basis. White hydrangeas donÁt change colour.

Make sure hanging baskets and pots donÁt dry out. There are products you can add to hold water longer and make sure the water is evenly distributed through the potting mix eg Saturaid, water storing crystals. A product called Potmate has both these products and a very good slow release fertiliser as well.

Remove weeds while small before they seed. Indoor plants enjoy a regular liquid fertiliser.

In hot dry gardens choose drought tolerant plants and water saving plants eg. gazanias, flax, dianellas, grevilleas, artemisia, salvias, convolvulous, catmint, lambs ears, erigeron, lavender, and many more.

If lawn beetle is a problem treat with Baythroid.
flower gardenIN THE FLOWER GARDEN
Plant portulaca, petunias, salvias, sturt desert pea, dahlia, coleus, amaranthus and alyssum.
in the vegie gardenIN THE VEGIE GARDEN
Plant tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, beans, capsicum, eggplant, squash, sweetcorn, lettuce, pumpkin, rockmelon and watermelon.